Richard Spencer

September 17, 2009

Obama has decided to Tear Down That Wall (our anti-Russian missile-defense shield, that is), and it was only a matter of time before National Review and people like Clifford May were denouncing the action as appeasement and Blame-America-First-ing. 

May, who?s the president of the Foundation For the Defense of Democracies (formerly known as ?(Emet,? the Hebrew word for ?Truth? and/or ?God?s plan for the world?), begins an article that?s ostensibly about a missile-shield protecting Central Europe from Russian bombardment by reminding the reader of Iran?s genocidal, Hitlerian plans for destroying Israel. In May?s mind, evil Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hasn?t yet realized that there are actually some 30,000 Jews residing in Iran right now?indeed, they have somehow lived peacefully in this Nazi country for centuries, established synagogues and schools, and even enjoy representation in Iran?s Islamo-Fascist parliament. Since Mahmoud is clearly ignorant of the fact that there are so many Jews living in his own country who could easily be murdered, May fears that the Iranian president might decide to pursue a Second Holocaust in the seemingly bizarre and inefficient fashion of nuking Bratislava.

Obviously, Washington?s missile shield is directed against Russia, and it has little, if anything, to do with Middle East politics. May simply mentions the Persian threat to Israel?s wellbeing because he knows this will resonate with the Christian Zionists and Israeli nationalists within the Republican Party and conservative movement. (And it?s likely he himself can?t really think outside the Middle East box.)

This is not to say that America was pursuing some kind of coherent strategy for handling Russia with the shield, which was mostly a product of Cold War inertia. As I wrote about the George Will affair last week, Washingtonians essentially want every country on earth to always agree with them all the time as they haphazardly and clumsily attempt to manage the world. Foreign lands should inspire to be like Canada. Those that play along ?love freedom and human rights?; those that demur are ?regressing into totalitarianism? and are probably seeking to blow up the world.

It?s certainly natural for small nations, like Poland and Ukraine, to support an anti-Russian missile shield, as it?s a good way to outsource national defense, and much of their renowned ?pro-American? sentiment is a mask on long-standing beefs with the Russian Empire. But this doesn?t in the least mean that America was actually benefiting by sheltering ?New Europe? and provoking hostilities with Moscow.   

What I find most amusing about articles such as Clifford May?s is that NR, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, and the whole ?conservative? establishment should probably be happy about the shutting down of our useless, unnecessary missile shield. The rumor passed around the world?s diplomatic community is that Obama has dropped the shield in return for Russia?s support at the UN for further sanctions on Iran?the ultimate Republican and neocon b?te noire:

But US officials say the move is a non-ideological one and deny that dropping the scheme is a quid pro quo in return for Russian support for tougher United Nations sanctions on Iran?an idea previously floated by Mr Obama?s advisers.

Russia?s foreign ministry on Thursday denied that there was any private deal behind the US decision. Andrei Nesterenko, spokesman for the ministry, said a reversal would be welcomed by Moscow but said any sort of grand bargain with the US ?was not consistent with our policy, nor our approach to solving problems with any nations, no matter how sensitive or complex they are?.

The above was reported by the Financial Times, meaning that this notion of a backroom deal is’nt exactly some fringe theory.

It?s too bad American ?conservatives? equate any drawdown of weaponry and troops with cowardliness and defeatism. If they looked a little closer, they?d be pleased to discover that their irresponsible side just might be winning, and that Washington is inching closer to war with Iran.